Narrabri Gas

No drilling for gas in the Pilliga Forrest please. Australia is the most arid continent on planet earth, surely we cannot go around damaging the small thin strip of forrests just for a temporary supply of gas when we all know solar is the future

This is completely out of control, we must stand together and

I'm worried about the contamination of the water underneath

Hands off the Pilliga ! Protect our environment for future generations..

The agenda of corporations such as Santos is to satisfy its stakeholders at the expense of the health of our planet. The expected agenda of our government is to ensure that we have a future that will be livable and therefore to protect what we will need to survive like clean air amongst other things. The destruction of the Piliga forest for the greed of a few in opposition to the application of clean power emphasise a lack of vision and indifference to the consequences of its decision. I object strongly to this project.

It is morally wrong to use coal seem gas, anywhere. To continue is ludicrous especially around the basin. Governments are meant to do the right thing. Instead of thinking about money how about thinking of the future, the environment, the people.
Please stop further damage by getting rid of coal seam gas.
Regards S. Condon

CSG is a short-sighted and unsustainable method that will exacerbated the already apparent impacts of climate change. The artesian basin is too important to subject to this kind of impact.

I feel CSG is a huge mistake. the environmental implications will be disastrous for the entire region.

I am opposed to any CSG mining of the Piliga

My family have farmed and grazed on the plains southwest of the Pilliga for over 125 years. We are reliant on the Great Artesian Basin for water used for human and stock consumption.

I believe that the mechanism used to extract gas from the underlying strata put this water supply at risk of contamination with the secret formula of toxic and radioactive substances used in the process, particularly with the porous sandstone in the area.

I object the proposed coal seam gas project for the following reasons:

Risk to native species habitat during construction and operation of the project. Increase in traffic and noise will impact living and breeding spaces over a large area which is currently undisturbed.

Risk to water: there are a number of studies that clearly demonstrate the risk to water availability and risk of water pollution from coal seam gas operations. Especially in an area of such importance as the great artesian basin such risk in unacceptable as failure of risk mitigation plans would have significant long term impact on farming communities as wel as native flora and fauna. Many people in Australia rely on the water resources from the basin so it's protection must be put at high priority.
Gas leaks into water tables: there are sufficient accounts of gas leaks into water tables from existing coal seam gas operations that it must be considered a likelihood for this project as well. In an area as significant as the great artesian basin this poses an unacceptable risk in my opinion.

It is not sufficiently proven that CSG can be operated without potential significant impact on water supply which is why I object to this project.

I have travels around all this area and I don't want it being ruined for my children. There is better ways of producing energy then ruining a forest. .

I do not support the Narrabri Gas Project

Please do not proceed with CSG in the Pilliga region. The area needs to be conserved for future generations. Thank you for your time and I expect that you respect the wishes of over 90% of the population for you to not proceed with CSG in the Pilliga region.
Thank you.

Fracking should be banned immediately there are better alternatives. And when all the groundwater is poisoned can we proudly
Tell the next generation we actually tried to stop this madness. Money making shouldn't be the goal of life on earth how sad

I am very concerned on two fronts regarding the proposed CSG project in the Piliga. Fragmenting the vegetation through clearing will only lead to demise of the quality bushland. Mining for gas is risking the water quality, which our dry continent cannot afford. These two impacts will compromise pollinators in the local environment,Impossible to repair. The risk of contamination of the water table is too high risk impacting water quality in the larger catchment and state.
I say NO.

The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian Basin--Australia's largest groundwater aquifer

The Narrabri gasfield poses a real risk to our two most precious water resources: the Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin. The area of the Great Artesian Basin with the highest recharge rates is almost entirely contained within the Pilliga East forest. In a worst-case scenario, the water removed for CSG extraction could reduce water pressure in the recharge areas--potentially stopping the free flow of waters to the surface at springs and bores across the whole Great Artesian Basin.¹

Creeks in the Pilliga run into the Namoi River--a part of the Murray Darling Basin. This system is vulnerable to contamination from drilling fluid spills and the salty treated water produced from the proposed 850 wells.

There are hundreds of cultural sites as well as songlines and stories connecting the Gamilaraay to the forest and to the groundwater beneath. Gamilaraay people are deeply involved in the battle against CSG, and have told Santos they do not want their country sacrificed for a coal seam gas field.

Extensive community surveys have shown an average of 96% opposition to CSG. This stretches across a massive 3.2 million hectares of country surrounding the Pilliga forest, including 99 communities. Hundreds of farmers have participated in protest actions unlike any previously seen in the region.

The Narrabri Gas Project has a long history of spills and leaks of toxic CSG water--Santos cannot be trusted to manage the project safely. Santos has already contaminated a freshwater aquifer in the Pilliga with uranium at levels 20 times higher than safe drinking water guidelines, as well as lead, aluminium, arsenic and barium². In addition, there have been over 20 reported spills and leaks of toxic CSG water from storage ponds, pipes and well heads. Santos cannot be trusted.

The Pilliga is one of 15 nationally listed `biodiversity hotspots' and is vital to the survival of threatened species like the Koala, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Black-striped Wallaby, Eastern Pygmy-possum, Pilliga Mouse and South-eastern Long-eared Bat. The forest is home to over 200 bird species and is internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area². The Santos gasfield would fragment 95,000 hectares of the Pilliga with well pads, roads, and water and gas pipelines--damaging vital habitat and threatening the survival of endangered species.

Methane is by far the major component of natural gas, and is a greenhouse gas 72 times more powerful than CO². CSG fields contribute to climate change through the leakage of methane during the production, transport, processing and use of coal seam gas.

A range of hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds can be released into the air from coal seam gas operations, including flaring of gas wells. The effects of volatile organic compounds vary, but can cause eye, nose and airway irritation, headache, nausea, dizziness and loss of coordination⁴. These impacts have been documented in human populations nearby to existing gasfields in Queensland, Sydney and in America.

The Siding Springs Observatory, situated in the Warrumbungles and adjacent to the Pilliga, is under threat from the Narrabri Gas Project due to light and dust pollution⁵. The area has been internationally recognised as a `dark sky park'⁶ and the 50m high gas flares proposed by Santos threaten the viability of the facility.

Santos has no solution for disposing of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of salt that will be produced. Between 17,000 and 42,000 tonnes of salt waste would be produced each year. This industry would leave a toxic legacy in NSW.

Methane flare stacks up to 50m high would be running day and night, even on total fire ban days. The Pilliga is prone to severe bushfires. The project would increase ignition sources as well as extracting, transporting and storing a highly flammable gas right within this extremely fire-prone forest.

¹SoilFutures Consulting 2014, Great Artesian Basin Recharge Systems and Extent of Petroleum and Gas Leases. http://www.gabpg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/GAB-Report1.pdf
²http://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminates-aquifer-20140307-34csb.html
³BirdLife International (2017) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Pilliga http://www.birdlife.org
⁴Marion Carey Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), Air pollution from coal seam gas may put public health at risk The Conversation, November 20, 2012
⁵https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/21/siding-spring-observatory-threat-coal-seam-gas-light-pollution
⁶http://darksky.org/first-dark-sky-park-in-australia-designated/ - See more at: https://www.wilderness.org.au/final-push-pilliga#sthash.VeR1dQz4.dpuf

After careful consideration, I am writing to express my absolute opposition to the Narrabri Gas Project. I have undertaken considerable research and contemplated the various issues to reach this conclusion. Here are some of my main objections to this project:

* Climate change: The possibility of fugitive emissions and the lack of baseline data relating to coal seam gas extraction (http://scu.edu.au/coastal-biogeochemistry/index.php/70/#).

* The risks to groundwater: No matter how much Santos may strive for best practice, contamination is possible and even likely. Consider the pollution reported in the Blue Mountains this week, with the loss of 90% of insects downstream (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-26/blue-mountains-pollution-mine-wollangambe-river/8303644). This supposedly arose from an environmentally-responsible coal mine, but processes inevitably go wrong even with the best intentions. What cost to remediate groundwater - if it's even possible?

* Local community: The negative impact on the fabric of local communities, especially if the majority of the community is opposed to the development (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solastalgia).

* Biodiversity: Our precious wildlife is already confronting habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. As climate change progresses, many species can't migrate to equivalent microenvironments so we must maintain, enhance and expand the habitat that remains, not place greater stresses upon it.

I understand that the proponent has put together a comprehensive environmental impact statement for this development. However, I've worked as an environmental scientist for consultancies in the past. It was soul-destroying work, as by their nature EISs mitigate impacts with the slimmest margins for the environment, because developments are about profit. I've seen a colleague in tears because she was forced by the client to reduce the recommended width of buffer zones for a project. An EIS is important for any development, but it can't address shortcuts driven by greed, negligence and inevitable human error.

I also understand that the development would generate jobs, but so too does renewal energy projects, environmental tourism and agriculture. I do not believe the potential short-term benefits of this project outweigh the short, medium and long-term negative impacts in this regard.

Coal and gas deposits aren't going anywhere. They'll still be there in the future when the impacts are better understood and technologies are more sophisticated. This type of short-termism is a two-fold blow for future generations - depleting their resources and leaving them to deal with the environmental consequences.

Please, do not approve this development.

I am deeply shocked.

I thought there was a moratorium in NSW - there's enough evidence already to know the dangers - the damage can't be undone later.

Don't do it!